From 16 to 18 years
PESHAWAR
Peshawar High Court (PHC) has been moved for fixing age of girls as 18 years
A constitutional petition has been filed in PHC for increasing minimum legal marriageable age for girls from 16 years to 18 years in KP.
The petition which has been filed by two under age girls said KP is the only province of the country where marriage age of the girls is fixed 16 years still. On the other hand this limit has been fixed 18 years in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
The petitioners have requested the court provincial government be directed to take steps and enact necessary legislation for preventing the child marriages and fixing the minimum marriage age of girls as 18 years.
The petition said no effective legislation could be enacted since the last two decades despite promises and announcements for preventing child marriage in KP.
According to UNICEF statistics approximately 21 percent girls are married before the age of 18 years in Pakistan. This leaves negative impact on their education, health, safety and future. According to the petition effective legislation is inevitable for prevention of child marriage and protection of basic rights of girls.
